Cemetery

The Apex Cemetery is located at the corner of Upchurch Street and West Moore Street. The Town of Apex owns and maintains the land, which is individually deeded to those who purchase plots. Please note that the Town currently has no available lots to sell.

The cemetery is open to visitors from 7 a.m. to sunset from April 1 to October 31, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from November 1 to March 31.

The Town of Apex maintains records regarding plot owners. This record may or may not reflect the name of the person who is buried in that plot. Contact Donna B. Hosch, Town Clerk, at (919) 249-3303 for more information.

Burials / Marker InstallationsOnly contractors authorized by the Town of Apex may perform work in the cemetery. Questions regarding funerals, burials, or gravestone placement should be directed to the Town's contracted Cemetery Manager Brad Bailey at (919) 465-0888. Mr. Bailey is also the General Manager of Wake Memorial Park.

Selling a PlotThe resell of plots is permitted with the consent of the Town. The Town does not assist in the sales transactions. However, should you find an interested party to purchase your lot, you must present your original deed and a letter to the Town stating your intent to sell the plot. Letters can be hand-delivered to Donna B. Hosch, Town Clerk, at Town Hall, 73 Hunter Street, 2nd Floor, Apex NC 27502. You can also mail in your letter to Ms. Hosch at P.O. Box 250, Apex, NC 27502.

The letter must contain the current owner’s name, address and signature, as well as the new owner’s name, address and signature. If you are selling the plot on behalf of a person as the executor of their will, proof of that must be shown through a testamentary or other official document.

Cemetery Maintenance FAQ's

The Town of Apex understands the strong connections that our citizens have with their loved ones who have passed. We understand the sensitivity of any activities within the cemetery and do apologize for any distress or inconvenience. This FAQ was developed to address some of the reasons why the Town is performing maintenance for the cemetery in this manner.

1)Who has authority over the Town Cemetery?
Chapter 6 of the Town Ordinance outlines the operations, maintenance, and authority of the Town Cemetery, including identifying what items are/are not allowed.

2)When did the Town start enforcing these rules?The items that have been prohibited on the plots were a part of the original ordinance passed in 1973. An amendment to the ordinance was adopted on January 5, 2016, which clarified several items including a leniency period (this revision did NOT change the items that were prohibited). The first-time enforcement of the existing rules was scheduled to begin March 1, 2016. However, the Town did not perform the first cleanup until the spring of 2017.

3)What sort of problems were caused by objects being placed at gravesites?It is the Town of Apex’ privilege and responsibility to look after the graves of your loved ones in perpetuity. While the items you put on your plots have a special meaning to you, an over-abundance of these items does take away from the beauty of the cemetery as a whole or may even go as far as being offensive to some other visitors (for example, during our first cleanup, we picked up alcoholic beverages that were placed on certain headstones). An additional reality of this responsibility is that the Town is also obligated to be a good stewards of the citizen’s tax dollars. The enforcement of the existing ordinances is a way to help control maintenance costs within the Town.

4) What is the “leniency” period (mentioned in the answer above)?The following sections of the ordinance were approved on January 5, 2016: Sec 6-7 (d) Special memorial displays (Metal emblems or markers, flags or guidons) are permitted during the times shown below, but must be removed by the end date shown or such displays will be removed in accordance with this ordinance.

Sec 6-57 (c) Flowers, baskets, designs and frames may be removed from grave or plot at any time in the discretion of the superintendent. The family, or other responsible party, shall remove any wanted prohibited items from the grave or plot within one week of the day of burial. Any remaining items will be removed in accordance with this ordinance.

5)When will the “quarterly” clean-ups occur?

The enforcement of the ordinances will occur at a minimum of 4 times per year and will try to coincide with the leniency periods that were mentioned above. The Town currently plans on starting cleanups, at a minimum on:

1st Monday after January 7th

2nd Monday after Easter in April

1st Monday after July 4th

1st Monday in October

Please note that if the town sees a flagrant violation or if we receive a complaint outside of a planned cleanup, we would be obligated to enforce ordinances.

6)What objects are allowed to be placed on my plots?Please contact the Town for a copy of the ordinance or find it online. The section titled, “Certain Ornaments Prohibited”,found in Chapter 6: Article III: Section 6-57, goes over the items that are allowed in detail. Simply put, during times outside of the leniency period, only flowers are allowed in the bronze vase and American Flags in good repair are allowed on the plot. If there is a vase, the American Flag should go inside the vase, otherwise it may be placed in ground.

7)How does the Town have the right to do anything on a plot that I bought and own? How the majority of cemeteries work in the state (including Apex’ Cemetery) is that when you purchased a plot of land for burial, you did not purchase the land outright. What you did buy was a perpetual right to use the land as a burial site (and a right to visit the land). In summary, the Town still owns the land while you bought a perpetual easement to use it. Therefore it is our responsibility to maintain the land to a standard established by Town Council.

8)What happens to items that are collected?The Town takes a picture of the items on the grave, bags the items and tags the bag, which we then put in storage for 90 days after collection. Please call us to coordinate pickup if it’s within that 90-day window. These items are disposed of after 90 days.

9)I did not buy a bronze vase originally with my headstone, how can I leave flowers on my plot?In order to place flowers, you will need to purchase a smaller marker with either the bronze vase design or the alternate design found here. You do not need to replace your existing marker. Mr. Brad Bailey with Wake Memorial Park can help you with the purchase of these smaller marker/vases and can be reached at (919) 465-0888.

10) If I still have questions, who should I contact? For further clarification, please contact the Public Works & Transportation Director, Mr. Jose Martinez, PE at (919) 372-7443 or by email.